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Harvesting Garlic at the Farm

Time to harvest my garlic...

Determining when garlic is ready to harvest can be tricky. If it’s harvested too soon, the cloves are small and underdeveloped. If harvested too late, the clove heads begin to separate, making them more vulnerable to decay. The real indicator is the plant itself - when the bottom leaves have turned brown, and the top leaves are still green.

My garlic patch is located behind my main greenhouse not far from my raspberry bushes. We also have some winter squash growing in the same area.

The main harvest time for garlic usually takes place from late July through mid-August, when the underground bulbs are dug, cured and stored for use through the colder months.

Once the top of the garlic plant begins to die back, it is ready to pick.

Just several weeks ago, this patch was still very green and filled with garlic scapes.

Garlic scapes are the flower buds of the garlic plants. They’re ready a about a month before the actual garlic bulbs.

Scapes are delicious and can be used just like garlic. Ryan cut the scapes in late June when the center stalks were completely formed and curled ends were growing above the rest of the plants.

And now, Ryan is picking all the wonderful garlic bulbs. Ryan waited for a dry day to harvest – this allows the soil to dry out, helps to prevent rot, and makes it much easier to pull the stalks and bulbs from the ground.

Garlic bulbs are several inches deep, so Ryan loosens the soil first and then gently pulls the garlic bulb out. If it is still difficult to remove, use a garden fork to loosen the soil even more.

We planted 16 varieties of garlic last autumn. As each garlic head is removed from the soil, Ryan brushes off any debris and dirt from the bulb and the roots.

Garlic is both delicious and nutritious. It is known to lower cholesterol, decrease the risk of coronary artery disease, and is an excellent source of minerals and vitamins, such as vitamins B6 and C.

Here is a closer look at the bulb after it was picked. Ryan is pleased with the overall condition and size of this year’s bulbs.

Some bulbs have reddish-brown skins, while others have white. This entire crop looks very good.

There are more than 200 garlic plants. Here, Ryan is about half way done, but it doesn’t take long – about half an hour to harvest the entire crop.

Ryan pulls each garlic plant out and lines them up in neat rows. The next step is to prepare the garlic for curing. Curing is a process of letting the garlic dry in preparation for long-term storage.

The leaves and roots can be left intact during the curing process. The bulb continues to draw energy from the leaves until all the moisture evaporates.

There’s no need to wash garlic – after all, the point is to dry them out; however, they can be cleaned and trimmed.

Ryan pulled all the garlic out of the ground, and left them to dry a few minutes more before transferring to a proper curing location that’s dry, dark and airy.

Garlic can also be gathered in bunches, tied up and hung from their stems. As a fun crafting project, braid the stems of softneck garlics and hang them in a shady spot in the kitchen.

The garlic bulbs are taken down to my carriage house next to the stable. Ryan spread craft paper on the floor before setting down the trays and rows of garlic. The carriage house has good ventilation and is dark, which will be ideal for the curing process.

These garlic heads are plump and healthy – some are even bigger than we expected.

All the garlic will cure here for several weeks. Ryan will also set aside the most beautiful heads with the biggest cloves to use as garlic seeds next season.

Even the peacocks are curious to see what’s happening in the carriage house.

Ryan will also trim the stems and dust off any remaining dirt from the bulbs. When cleaning or trimming the garlic, be careful not to remove too many of the garlic wrappers – you don’t want to expose the cloves until they are used.

Ryan and I agree it was a successful garlic harvest.

Garlic was also harvested at Skylands, and is drying on long tables in the shop.

Well-cured, well-wrapped garlic bulbs will keep six to eight months or longer. The best storage temperature for garlic is between 60 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit, with low humidity at about 60-percent. Never store in the refrigerator as it tends to sprout at colder temperatures. I have lots of garlic to use and share.